The early World Cup departure of Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen may not be as good news for Erik ten Hag as first thought.
Denmark finished bottom of Group D, as they drew 0-0 with Morocco, lost 2-1 to France and 1-0 to Australia, bowing out of Qatar with just a single point and goal to their name. Eriksen will no doubt be bitterly disappointed that his country did not manage to go further.
The United midfielder had spoken many times about how excited he was to be playing for his national team at the World Cup, especially after his cardiac arrest during Euro 2020.
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Ahead of the tournament, he told Sky Sports : "Denmark has changed compared to the last tournament [Euro 2020], because the last tournament that we went to we went through to the semi-finals. Now the pressure is on to even get that better than the semi-finals at the Euros. So I think it's just go as far as possible.
"I think that's changed [the expectations] compared to before where before even the last World Cup in 2018, we had to go through the group and then we take it from there. But I think now we're looking at trying to go as far as possible."
Sadly for the Dane, his side did not make it out of their group. The news was met with some exasperation and relief by United fans, as they were quick to point at the 30-year-old's chance to be given a well-deserved rest.
Apart from a bout of illness that kept him out of a 0-0 draw with Newcastle at Old Trafford, Eriksen has featured in every single game across all competitions under Ten Hag this season.
Rather than fear his players picking up injuries while on international duty, the United manager actually sees them as a chance for his players to gain some good momentum upon their return to club duty, as he told his former club Ajax last year.
He said: "The players are fit, that’s why they get selected. They’re good, you can also look at it that way. That’s often how it goes, that they come back with a lot of energy. Because they get a change of scenery and play style with other players who they have a good click with.
"Secondly when they come back, they have something to look forward to. That brings so much energy to the team."
Despite Eriksen returning without injury, the challenge now facing Ten Hag is how he can lift his midfielder in what will undoubtedly be a very sombre moment for the former Brentford man.
The Dutch coach will likely hope that his mantra of celebrating for 24 hours and mourning for 24 hours will be rubbing off on his players, as he will be desperate for Eriksen to shrug off the disappointment following the Dane's early exit.
If United are to continue their charge for the Champions League places after Christmas, there is no doubting that they will need Eriksen firing on all cylinders in the second-half of the season.
You can vote for Christian Eriksen to win the Fans' Footballer of the Year 2022 Award - cast your vote below or click here.
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